Category: Art scene in Marrakesh

Marrakesh – an evolving city with new cultural spaces

The amazing confluence of design talent in Marrakech is testament to the city’s vibrancy. Marrakech is a city of inspiration, innovation and creativity and proves itself to be a magnetic draw to artists and designers from all over the world. It is also a rich source of creativity for Moroccans themselves.

Artists and designers draw inspiration from both the traditional and modern aspects of the city of Marrakech – the combinations of colours, patterns and design are tremendously appealing. You can pick this up just wandering around the souks – and you can see it reflected in countless blogs, design magazines, and websites that feature Moroccan-inspired design.

We’ve put together a new list of must-sees in and around Marrakech for those interested in art, culture and gardens:

Recently-opened museums in Marrakech

MACMA Musée d’Art et de Culture de Marrakech

Opened in February 2016, this privately-owned art and culture museum is in a modern 400 m² space that is light and airy within the constraints of museum exhibitions and the requirements of conservation. Permanent exhibitions will be enriched with collectors’ pieces both private and from foundations. There are paintings, objets d’art and old black and white photographs. The museum also boasts an art library and literary café with poetry readings and musical evenings.

Musée de la Civilisation Marocaine de l’Eau — the Museum of Moroccan Civilization and of Water was officially opened by Crown Prince Moulay Hasson on January 5th, 2017. It highlights Moroccan expertise in water management in what is an arid part of the world and how it is managed and distributed in villages and town.

It is designed to raise awareness among Moroccans about the value of water and water conservation.

It also draws attention to the role played by the Islamic foundations and the spiritual dimension of water.

There is a permanent exhibition as well as temporary ones and plans are underway for an outdoor exhibition to supplement the museum.

Recently opened gardens featuring both art and gardens

Musée de la Palmeraie
Anima Garden
Le Jardin des Arts

Musée de la Palmeraie

Several kilometers away in the Palmeraie (Palm grove) that is along the road to Fez, you find the Musée de la Palmeraie, opened in 2011, that features a photographic exhibition, modern paintings and sculptures by Moroccan artists. It is housed in a beautiful building and grounds that has a mix of sculptures and gardens – a herb garden, a rose garden and an Andalusian garden – and a space for kiddies. Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Along the road to Ourika, 27 km from Marrakech, is the Anima Garden opened in April 2016. The garden is a labour of love by Austrian artist, André Heller. What was previously a rose garden but no longer viable is now a 2-hectare space filled with hundreds of varieties of trees and plants. Anima is in addition a cultural space featuring works of art by German painter Hans Werner Geerdts, as well as numerous colourful sculptures.

There is a shuttle service several times a day – from the parking area behind the Koutoubia mosque right in the centre of Marrakesh.

We have written previously about these wonderful rag rugs crafted by local Moroccan women – some of them are amazingly beautiful and artistic. http://bit.ly/1KqbM0N

Frenchman, Patrick de Maillard, has started a crowdsourcing site to raise funds for a cafe in the museum Café Boucharouite de Marrakech set up on the roof terrace of the museum. https://fr.ulule.com/musee-boucharouite/

The café is a good spot to find peace and calm, away from the crowds in the medina.

The museum is dedicated to all forms of popular art with a strong emphasis on these carpets made from scraps of fabrics and transformed into the pure joy of creativity, woven or embroidered by Moroccan women, many of them Berber women. These women are uneducated artists and practice their art from recycled old clothes weaving into them their emotions.

Even if they weave by intuition, they are nevertheless present, woven into the strands of their looms amongst innumerable coloured knots – it is not always a conscious effort, this expression of their sensory perceptions of space and their interior lives.

From March 1st to 11th, 2016, the International Festival of Contemporary Dance, also known as “On Marche”, will be held in Marrakech at various venues.

Now in its 11th year, the festival brings together dancers from various countries. There are performances by students at the Ecole supérieure des arts visuels de Marrakech (ESAV). There will also be performances held in the main square – Place jemaa’ el Fna – bringing art to everyone.

Upcoming events in Marrakech – the Biennale. Join a crowd of art lovers going to see the Marrakech Biennale – from February 24th to May 8th, 2016. The theme of this year’s event is “Not New Now / Quoi de neuf là”

The Marrakech Biennale, 6th Edition, has made great efforts to build bridges and foster mutual understanding and collaboration between regions in the contemporary art field.

The art scene in Morocco has been growing in recent years and Marrakech, with a number of new modern art galleries, has become the most sought-after and stylish destination in North Africa.

Marrakech has another new, interesting museum – the Mouassine Museum – set in a magnificent 17th-18th century building. Until April 2016 the museum has as its inaugural exhibition “The Festival season” –marriages, the harvest, the fantasias. Featuring exceptional items from the collection of Rabii Alouani Bibi and using music, documents, photographs, you get a sense of the context in which these treasures were created.

DavidBloch Gallery in Marrakech

CarlosMareand VincentAbadieHafez presenta joint exhibitionfromFriday, December 18at the DavidBloch GalleryMarrakech. Check the website for a glimpse of their fabulous choices for exhibitions of modern art in Marrakech.

Metal sculptures inspired by graffiti and modern art …. beautiful creations you can easily admire

Maison de la Photographie in Marrakech

is launching a new exhibition

LE MAROC DE JEAN PIERRE EVRARD

from October 7th to 23rd 2015. Black and white photos of buildings in Marrakech. Jean Pierre has been a friend of the Maison de la Photographie since its opening and he decided to donate the photographs in this new exhibition, a selection of beautiful prints taken since 1995.